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Gives a comprehensive revue of the literature which marked the birth centenary of Dr S.R. Ranganathan, a prolific writer on librarianship and library science.
Abstract
Gives a comprehensive revue of the literature which marked the birth centenary of Dr S.R. Ranganathan, a prolific writer on librarianship and library science.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore one broad question: what do information, information processes, information services, as well as information systems and technology have to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore one broad question: what do information, information processes, information services, as well as information systems and technology have to do with the spiritual?
Design/methodology/approach
The task is accomplished by conducting a literature review of 31 refereed texts in information studies. The paper proceeds by inspecting the manifestation of spirituality in information sources, generic information processes, as well as specific information processes: conceptualizing, seeking, processing, using, storing, describing and providing information.
Findings
A total of 11 relationships between information phenomena and the spiritual are discovered. Based on these, a definition of spiritual information is put forth. There are also some descriptive statistics on the corpus as a whole.
Research limitations/implications
The results are susceptible to limitations imposed by the reviewed studies themselves. Errors of interpretation were a possibility. The article suggests many directions for further research in the context of the spiritual, and discusses how to view spirituality in information science.
Practical implications
Practical implications are only mentioned here and there, because research implications are of primary concern in the investigation.
Originality/value
This paper is the first to synthesize information research in the spiritual domain. Beyond the subject area, the article demonstrates how to classify information processes, and conduct a context‐centric literature review in the field of information studies.
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Cheryl Klimaszewski and James M. Nyce
The purpose of this paper is to present the findings from a field study in Viscri, a village in Transylvania, Romania, to investigate the current state of information and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the findings from a field study in Viscri, a village in Transylvania, Romania, to investigate the current state of information and communication technology (ICT) development in the village.
Design/methodology/approach
Researchers interviewed villagers in May 2007. Ethnographic methods were used to collect data and to assess villagers' information needs. The information landscape in Viscri is presented and analyzed in local and national contexts. The national policies shaping Romania's emerging information society are discussed and literature on the impact of ICT development at the community level is also reviewed.
Findings
Romania's ICT policy goal of universal access needs to be better targeted. In Viscri, few adults showed interest in learning about or using computers. However, villagers understood that a good education that included computer education was necessary to assure better economic futures for their children. In light of the demographics, social conditions and cultural beliefs in Viscri, the most appropriate access point for ICT initiatives there should be programs aimed at school‐aged children.
Research limitations/implications
The paper describes and discusses the information needs of one village. Further field investigation at the community level is necessary to discern the relevance of the findings to other villages both in Romania and elsewhere.
Practical implications
Further research, especially in the most underserved communities, will help to identify ways in which the information society and related policies can be more equitably implemented in Romania. What is learned in Romania can have implications for ICT development policy elsewhere.
Originality/value
The paper assesses critically the rhetoric of universal access. If universal access is going to remain an ICT policy goal, more research is needed at the community level in order to ensure that policy emphasis on access for all actually translates into equitable, meaningful ICT access for underserved communities.
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The suspension of some of the great German medical abstracting services during World War II and the keenly felt need for a comprehensive abstracting service in English…
Abstract
The suspension of some of the great German medical abstracting services during World War II and the keenly felt need for a comprehensive abstracting service in English, particularly for clinical medicine, brought about the establishment of Excerpta Medica as a non‐profit organization in 1947. Since its inception the service has expanded into several sections covering not only the usual divisions of clinical and preclinical medicine but also subjects like Cancer and Tuberculosis which are of present‐day interest and importance. Now that some of the German abstracting services have been revived there is apt to be some amount of duplication between them and Excerpta Medica, and the small library in particular has to evaluate them to get the best for the money or the most suitable for its purposes.
Ramesh Pandita and Shivendra Singh
The present study aims to assess the enrollment scenario of Library and Information Science (LIS) education across different states in India. The study is purely based on the…
Abstract
The present study aims to assess the enrollment scenario of Library and Information Science (LIS) education across different states in India. The study is purely based on the secondary data collected and compiled by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development, Govt. of India under All India Survey of Higher Education (AISHE). The data were retrieved from the official website of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India, for the period from 2011–2012 to 2017–2018. From the data analysis, it emerged that of the 36 states and union territories in India, LIS education is being imparted across 32 states and union territories, accounting nearly 90% states of the country. Tamil Nadu is the leading state in India, producing nearly one-fourth of Library Science graduates each year. The male–female enrollment at the national level stands in the ratio of 48:52 students, respectively. Of the total enrollments made during the period of study, 96% students enrolled in Nagaland were male, while nearly 72% students enrolled in Goa were females. These and many more related aspects of LIS education in India have been discussed in detail.
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This paper takes up a question raised by Edward Lim in an article on the MALMARC Project in the issue of July 1980 regarding the place of advanced technology in the libraries of…
Abstract
This paper takes up a question raised by Edward Lim in an article on the MALMARC Project in the issue of July 1980 regarding the place of advanced technology in the libraries of developing countries where labour is cheap and plentiful. Advances in Malaysia show that some developing countries are more developed than others and that the achievements of the Project confirm that it is appropriate to introduce computers into library work there. The main question remains however, the appropriateness of advanced information systems in developing countries and what standing libraries might have in contributing to the development process where ‘information’ about information could be considered even more important than some of the fields where great effort has long been directed to ‘development’. The paper suggest some areas where library staff ‘displaced’ by automation might best serve in a developing country while libraries themselves attempt to make best use of technological developments available; these should be ‘internalised’ to give the country the best benefit of new advances.
To explore the potential impact of Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan's classification theories on the accessibility and exposure of digital repository content.
Abstract
Purpose
To explore the potential impact of Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan's classification theories on the accessibility and exposure of digital repository content.
Design/methodology/approach
Conceptual analysis of: faceted classification schemes; the symantic web; object‐oriented analysis, design and programming; and digital repository content.
Findings
With the rapid proliferation of digital repositories and digital archives comes the need for appropriate and flexible classification schemes that can be implemented in conjunction with current technology such as object‐oriented programming techniques. Shivali Ranganathan was a forerunner in the area of classification systems, and developed a classification system, which is very suited to the need at hand: faceted classification. This column explores the relationship between Ranganathan's theories and their potential use in the contemporary digital library context (specifically digital repositories).
Practical implications
Ranganathan's methodology may help libraries to expose digital repository content on a larger scale within a very flexible and forward‐looking framework. This will allow libraries to anticipate the development of the semantic web and become key players in this environment.
Originality/value
Suggests a theoretical framework for describing and syndicating digital repository content, which is flexible and anticipatory in nature, based on the work of Shiyali Ranganathan.
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Hussein Abdel‐Aziz Sayed and Mahmoud M.M. Hassan
Within an organisation, the information system plays a vital role in the decision‐making process. There is a need to design and introduce a new Manpower Management Information…
Abstract
Within an organisation, the information system plays a vital role in the decision‐making process. There is a need to design and introduce a new Manpower Management Information System (MMIS) for the State Ministry of Manpower and Training (SMMT) as a primary step to help in the formulation of a policy for manpower in Egypt.
A set of experiments was conducted to determine the suitability of the Colon Classification as a foundation for the automated analysis, representation and retrieval of primary…
Abstract
A set of experiments was conducted to determine the suitability of the Colon Classification as a foundation for the automated analysis, representation and retrieval of primary information from the full text of documents. Primary information is that information embodied in the text of a document, as opposed to secondary information which is generally in such forms as: an abstract, a table of contents or an index.